In recent years, snowboarding has become a popular winter sport in the United States and other countries. It is usually done on commercially-operated slopes which were designed to accommodate skiers. Snowboarding differs significantly from skiing in that, rather than having separate skis for each foot and poles for each hand, both feet of the snowboarder are held, one in front of the other, on a single, reltively wide board and no poles are used. Also, unlike skiing, snowboard foot bindings are attached transversely or at an angle to the length of the snowboard.
Typically, a snowboarder wears relatively soft boots which are strapped or clamped onto the snowboard, rather than hardshell boots and safety-release bindings that are commonly used with snow skis. Use of safety-release bindings with snowboards are usually unnecessary. When a skier falls, each foot has a separate elongated lever attached to it which is capable of applying tremendous torsional force to the skier's ankles or knees. On the other hand, when a snowboarder has both feet attached to a single lever, twisting force from a fall is exerted on the torso, a portion of the human body much more capable of withstanding such forces without serious injury.
Because snowboarders do not use poles, one is virtually non-ambulatory when on relatively level ground and while attempting to maneuver onto chair lifts designed to accommodate skiers. Previously, a snowboarder faced with this problem would be forced to unbuckle or unstrap one foot from the board and to "skateboard" along, pushing with the free foot, or to free both feet and carry the board. Unbuckling or unstraping one's feet can be a cumbersome task. Furthermore, while it is desirable to have one foot freed while boarding the chair lift, it is also desirable to have both feet securely in place on the board when dismounting the chair lift at the top of the slope. This would mean that the snowboarder was forced to rebuckle or restrap the free foot to the board while hanging in midair on the chair lift, a task which can be cumbersome even under ideal circumstances.
While the popularity of snowboarding has increased sharply over the past few years, this inconvenience associated with snowboarding on slopes designed for skiers has been sufficient to deter some from attempting the sport and to add unnecessary exertion to those who do participate. Releasable bindings for snowboards have been presented in U.S. Pat. No. 4,652,007, issued to David Dennis on Mar. 24, 1987; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,116, issued to Kurt J. Hill on Mar. 1, 1988. The Dennis patent shows a system for adapting hardshell ski boots and releasable ski bindings for use with a snowboard. The system disclosed by Dennis is a safety-release system which causes both feet to be freed from the snowboard when either one becomes disengaged. This feature is necessary to provide complete safety to the snowboarder if either foot is allowed to be released during a fall. As previously discussed in reference to snow skiing, if either foot separately has an elongated lever attached to it during a fall, dangerous torsional strain can be exerted on the ankle or knee. This feature shown in Dennis does not, however, allow one foot to be independently released for the convenience of the snowboarder for "skateboarding" on relatively flat areas or moving through lift lines. Likewise, it would be extremely difficult for a snowboarder to insert both feet into such a safety binding system while on the chair lift between the bottom and top of the slope.
The Hill patent shows a pivotable releasable binding for use with snowboards. This binding system releases each foot separately which, although allowing the user to free one foot at a time for convenience, has the inherent safety deficiency described above. Additionally, the system disclosed by Hill presents a relatively complex and, therefore, expensive and bulky system.